Display stand



Jan. 14, 1941. MORGAN 2,228,775

- DISPLAY gum) Filed July 26, 1938 *2 Shoots-Sheei'l NTOR HUBERT S. MORGAN Jam; 14, 1941- H. s. MORGAN.

nxsrmu'r s'umn Filed July 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet; 2

'- INVENTQR HUBER-T S. MORGAN ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 14, 1941 PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY STAND Hubert S. Morgan, 'New York, N. Y., assignor to Beech-Nut Packing Company, Canajcharie, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 26, 1938, Serial No. 221,295

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to display stands that are particularly adapted for displaying small articles such as five cent boxes and other packages of chewing gum, fruit drops and other confections.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a display stand of the character indicated which is of simple, strong and durable construction, which is capable of attractively displaying a large number and variety of articles to the best advantage, and which is convenient in use.

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of the stand;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views respectively taken on the lines 33 and 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views in perspective of preferred forms of article containing trays which may be used in connection with my im- 25 proved stand.

My improved display stand as illustrated in the drawings is provided with vertical side walls 2 which may be suitably connected as by a frame member 4 at their lower rear corners and 30 by a front wall 8.

A plurality of shelves l0 extend between the side walls and are secured thereto. The lowermost shelf has its forward end spaced a distance below the upper edge of the front wall 8 of the 35 stand. This shelf is inclined upwardly and rearwardly as shown with its rear-end spaced a distance from the rear edges of the side walls.

The next shelf is spaced a distance above the lowermost shelf and is also inclined upwardly 40 and rearwardly. As shown, however, this shelf is inclined at a slightly less angle than the lowermost shelf.

The next shelf I0 is spaced above the underlying shelf and is inclined upwardly and rear- 45 wardly, but is shown at a slightly less angle than said underlying shelf.

Above this shelf is a fourth shelf which is spaced therefrom and is inclined upwardly and rearwardly but at a lesser angle.

50 The top shelf Ill may be inclined like the fourth shelf.

The forward edges of each of the second, third and fourth shelves above the lowermost one is spaced a distance below the upper edge of 55 a rail 12 which is arranged at a slight angle to the vertical and has its ends secured to the side walls. The foremost rail I2 is spaced a distance to the rear of the front wall 8, and the two other rails l2 are similarly spaced rearwardly. The front edge of each of the side walls is stepped and the rails I2 are secured to the vertical edges of these stepped portions. The rear ends of the shelves are successively spaced at the rear of each other. s

As illustrated the third and fourth shelves may be provided with longitudinally extending partitions M which are spaced apart.

The space between adjacent partitions i4 is adapted to receive a tray [8. Each tray is made in the form of a chute having a bottom wall, 20, 5 upstanding flanges 22 on its longitudinal edges, upstanding corner flanges 24 on its forward edge, and a downwardly turned flange 26 on its rear end which may serve as a handle. Each tray may be provided with semi-annular upstanding ribs 28 formed therein that are spaced from the longitudinal edges thereof.

Each individual tray [8 may be filled with five cent boxes or other packages of chewing gum or candies and the like, with corresponding packages positioned in each tray one behind the other. The packages should be of a length corresponding to the width of the space between the flanges so as to permit them to slide widthwise and be guided by the tray flanges. The 30 ribs 28 permit the packages to slide freely by gravity.

When a tray is thus filled, it may from the rear of the stand be placed on the shelf be-- tween the partitions l4 and slid down into position with its forward end against the upwardly projecting portion of the rail I2.

The two lower shelves are each shown without the longitudinally extending partitions l4. These shelves may be used to support trays 29 in which each individual tray may be divided by partitions 30 into separate tray sections of varying widths. These trays may slide one beside v the other, no partition being necessary. .These trays also may be removed and replaced from the I rear of the stand.

Five cent boxes and packages of chewing gum of different manufacturers are of different lengths. In the use of the stand, it is desirable that the trays l8 and the spaces between the commodate different length packages of varying manufacturers.

The lower edge of each rail I2 is positioned in proximity to the articles positioned in the next underlying tray so that the customer can only remove articles from such trays that are in front of the rail. Also most of the articles in the first four trays are protected from dirt and dust by being covered by the overlying Shelf and depending rail l2, and substantially only the articles in front of the depending rail are visible from the front of the stand.

The uppermost shelf I is in the form of a shallow box having a bottom wall 32, a front wall 34, and a rear wall 36. The rear portion of the top of this box-like shelf has a cover 38 that is hinged at its forward edge. Upon lifting the cover, articles may be placed in the shelf and permitted to roll down into position at the front of the shelf.

The rails l2 and the wall 34 are provided with reflecting surfaces, which reflect the articles below them in such a way as to give the appearance of a mass display. The parts of the stand may be easily cleaned.

The lowermost trays may be used for supporting flat boxes such as five cent boxes of candy-coated gum 3| and these boxes to properly slide by gravity may require a different inclination of the supporting shelf than other types of packages which may be supported on the upper shelves. In the caseof the two upper shelves, very little inclination. is required as these shelves are intended to support cylindrical rolls of fruit drops 33 and the like which may readily roll by gravity downwardly when the foremost package is removed.

One advantage of this stand from a practical viewpoint is the fact that a storekeeper in refilling the trays, will naturally supply the articles at the rear of the tray when the tray is pulled rearwardly for refilling purposes. This insures fresh articles being moved into position at the front of the tray where they may be removed by the customer, and thus ensures articles being removed before they become stale. This arrangement also permits the storekeeper to watch the contents of the trays and conveniently refill from his position behind the counter.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a display stand for articles such as small packages of chewing gum and candies, side walls, shelves extending between and rigidly secured to the side walls and spaced apart one above the other with their forward edges spaced one behind the other from the front toward the rear of the stand, said shelves being inclined upwardly and rearwardly, the angles of inclination of the shelves decreasing from bottom to top, a plurality of trays mounted side by side on each shelf and extending fore and aft thereof, each tray being of shallow depth and having longitudinal side walls and a front end wall, the tops of the trays being open, said trays being adapted to be individually slid rearwardly on their respective shelves, each shelf having an upstanding member at its forward edge which serves as an abutment for the front end walls of the trays, each shelf having a depending member at its forward edge with the lower edge of said member spaced in proximity to the top of the trays on the underlying shelf, whereby each shelf and associated depending member covers the articles in the trays on the underlying shelf so that substantially only the articles in front of the depending member are visible from the front of the stand, at least one of said shelves having transverse partitions between pairs of which partitions trays are adapted to be confined.

HUBERT S. MORGAN. 

